Studio 60: "K & R Part II"Review

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Sorkin cribs from The West Wing with mixed results.

By Travis Fickett

Now that we know Studio 60 is finished after this season, it's hard not to view the remaining episodes with a detached and somewhat passive bemusement. Everything that works makes me think "Oh, maybe the show could have had a great second season." While the moments that fall flat remind me why the show lost so many viewers and got cancelled in the first place. Since it returned from its long hiatus to burn off the remaining episodes, the series has shown a higher standard than the early episodes while still offering a mixed bag of intelligent drama and self-satisfied aggrandizing.

The flashback involving Matt and Danny's decision to run a political sketch during the first show following 9-11 is not as interesting as one would hope. It's unclear why we're seeing this story now, when we've already been told about it a few times in the past. There isn't even a Judd Hirsch cameo to make it all worthwhile. Aaron Sorkin seems to have some unresolved issues about the political climate following 9-11. While this is perfectly understandable, this thread in the episode seems to clash with the more current and character-based stories - even if the transitions are seamless thanks to the shows typical high caliber direction and editing.

Nate Corddry as Tom Jeter

Nate Corddry continues to impress as Tom, though it never quite makes sense why Lucy (the excellent and underused Lucy Davis) is being kept away from her boyfriend when he probably needs her the most. Corddry gets some help from James Lesure's great turn as Captain David Boyle - one of the more fully realized supporting characters to appear on the show in a while. The scenes between the two are very reminiscent of The West Wing, filled with military jargon and specific details tossed off as casual dialogue. It all works, even if it sounds a bit like the cover version of another, better show.

Bradley Whitford is terrific as Danny, who continues some of his sparring with Jordan's young doctor and realizes that not being the biological father to Jordan's baby is a bigger deal than he may have thought. As Jordan's condition seems to worsen, or at least not get much better, Danny finds out he still has his friends Harriet and Matt to lean on. A great line early in the episode is the doctor recommending that Danny go and get a drink. "I can't, I'm an alcoholic," Danny replies. "Bummer for you," the doctor says. Meanwhile, Simon's big blow up at the press feels forced and doesn't come across quite like the cathartic rage it's supposed to be. He also doesn't say anything particularly interesting, though he does insult pretty much the entire country - so it'll be amusing to see how they sort that out.

The episode is about waiting around for something to happen, and it begins to feel like we're doing just that. While the dialogue and the characters come off better in this episode, it does recall earlier two-parters such as Nevada Day - that simply didn't warrant multiple episodes. "K & R" is a three-parter, and when it's all over will we really have need all three? Probably not, but it's nice to see that the show has some life in it and it may be able to wrap things up in way that has the class and relevance displayed in the show's terrific pilot that began this whole endeavor in the first place.